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iStudent Complaints

iStudent Complaints is an independent dispute resolution scheme established by the New Zealand Government to encourage swift settlement of contractual and financial disputes between international students and their education providers in New Zealand.

iStudent Complaints was established on 1 July 2016 and is administered by FairWay Resolution Limited, the sole international student contract dispute resolution scheme operator appointed by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment under section 238J(4)(a) of the Education Amendment Act 2015.

About this service

We work with international students and their providers to ensure that:

an alternative to the costly and time-consuming court process is accessible

relationships between disputing parties is preserved

their contractual and financial disputes are swiftly and effectively resolved, preferably through voluntary settlements, that is, favouring negotiation and mediation before adjudication, unless negotiation and mediation are not appropriate for resolving the dispute.

How the process works

You should raise the issue with your provider first and give them an opportunity to resolve it. Once you and your provider have reached the end of the provider’s complaint process and you are not happy with the outcome, iStudent Complaints may be able to help.

If your complaint is a contractual or financial issue or both, you can lodge your complaints to iStudent Complaints by phone, email, post, or via our online form. Once we receive the complaint, we will acknowledge receipt in writing within 10 working days by email or post. If the complaint is not a contractual or financial issue, we will direct the complaint to NZQA for follow-up.

The cost

Nothing. The service is fully funded by the Export Education Levy.

Where to start

To start the iStudent Complaints process to resolve a dispute with your provider or for further information, please call our iStudent Complaints team on 0800 00 66 75 or email us at complaints@istudent.org.nz